Retractable electrical extension cord units are well-known, and have been incorporated in known applications. U.S. Pat. No. 4,467,979, issued Aug. 28, 1984 to Koehler, is an example. Such a cord retraction device allows the cord to be extended only to the degree desired, thereby resulting in a neater appearance, improved safety and protection for the cord not currently used. After use, the cord is then retracted in a convenient manner that protects the cord and enhances appearance.
Similarly, it is known that a license plate holder may be constructed with a cord reel, and that the cord stored on the reel may be used to manually extend and manually retract an electrical electrical plug. U.S. Pat. No. 5,056,698, issued Oct. 15, 1991 to Kozakevich and U.S. Pat. No. 5,255,767, issued Oct. 26, 1993 to Norwood, are both examples.
However, known license plate holders having a cord reel have failed to provide a number of structures which support functionality that would be useful to many motorists, hunters, fishermen, outdoorsmen and many others. For example, known license plates having a reel for electrical cord have failed to provide structures which are adapted for use with either a 120 VAC powered vehicle block heater and also with a 12 VDC to 120 VAC converter.
Similarly, where the vehicle is equipped with a 12 VDC to 120 VAC converter, known license plate holders having an electrical cord reel have failed to provide structures which assist in plugging distant devices into the 120 VAC power sources.
Also, known license plate holders having an electrical cord reel have failed to provide the structures needed to store additional cord, where the built-in reel is insufficient to support the required length of electrical cord. Known devices have also failed to provide a spring-loaded device to retract the cord, and have failed to provide a device to clean the cord as it retracts.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for an automatic retractable electrical cord that can be adapted for use with either a block heater or a 12 VDC to 120 VAC converter. The electrical cord assembly should automatically retract and clean the cord. The device should also be adapted for both acquiring and for distributing power. Additionally, the mobile power center with self-retracting cord should provide additional structures which allow the storage of additional cord when required.